The Correlation Between Online Gaming Habits and Vocabulary Mastery of Seventh-Grade Students at SMPN 18 Surakarta

Abstract

This study aimed to examine whether there was a significant correlation between online gaming habits and vocabulary mastery among seventh-grade students at SMPN 18 Surakarta. A quantitative correlational research design was employed involving 31 students as the research sample. Data were collected using a questionnaire to measure students’ online gaming habits and a vocabulary test to assess their vocabulary mastery. The collected data were analyzed using the Pearson Product-Moment correlation technique through manual calculation and IBM SPSS Statistics. The findings revealed that the mean score of students’ online gaming habits was 54.97, while the mean score of vocabulary mastery was 74.97, indicating a high level of vocabulary mastery. The correlation analysis showed that the correlation coefficient (r) was 0.861 with a significance value of 0.000, which was lower than 0.05. These results indicate a very strong and statistically significant positive correlation between online gaming habits and students’ vocabulary mastery. In other words, students with higher levels of online gaming habits tended to demonstrate better vocabulary mastery. It can be concluded that online gaming habits positively contribute to students’ vocabulary mastery by providing meaningful and contextual exposure to English vocabulary during gameplay.